Simple Food v. Modernist Cuisine?

There is much ado over Nathan Myhrvold’s Modernist Cuisine and if I had a spare room and a lot of extra cash…well, I still don’t think I’d buy it.
In case you missed the coming of this encyclopedic behemoth, it’s 5 volumes, at around 500 bucks and it’s on back order. I respect and admire the Boyz with Toyz crowd, but in general, I’m a simpler, comfort seeking cook. Let me be clear, there’s a time and place for modernist cuisine, and a time and place for comfort food. There is room to enjoy both; there is no line in the sand and both schools learn from each other.

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Season of the Root: Parsnip

Let’s face it, if you live in North America, we’re still in Root Season: potatoes, turnips, parsnips, carrots, celery root. Perhaps the spring smelling breezes are making you long for fresh ramps and fiddle head ferns, but the reality is, it’s March, and we’re still eating roots. One of my favorite tuber pick-me-ups is the parsnip. It just never gets the love that other tubers get.

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Season’s Change

Sunday night a crisp wind blew into the kitchen. Yesterday I saw a definitive signal of approaching autumn when I spotted the first tobacco truck laden with it’s burden of golden green leaves. The market is full of bargains as everyone tries to unload their surplus. The man selling chili peppers was hoping I would be seduced by his come-hither hands on his hips pose.

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Thank You Foodista!

  A big thank you to the fun, fine folks at Foodista.com.   Aroma Cucina is the featured food blog post for today with "Parsley loves Potatoes". Foodista.com is like Wiki for food lovers, only with a much better attitude and cool features. And sigh, what I wouldn't give right now for some fresh parsley here…

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Humble Ingredient: Potato

The classic tall chef’s hat that dates back to the 16th century has 100 folds in it; each fold is supposed to represent all the ways there are to make an egg.  If a young girl in Calbria wants to get married, she is supposed to know how to make 100 pasta shapes before she’s…

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